MAY-JUNE 2013 FABB News

BikeFest, WABA's annual party and fundraiser, will be held on Friday evening, May 3 at Eastern Market in DC. This a way to support WABA while having a good time dancing to live jazz and swing music, playing card games, and checking out the BikeBuild contest. Tickets are $45 for WABA members and $55 for non-members. Ticket sales end on May 2. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Bike to School Day - May 8

Bike to School Day is being celebrated at more than 30 schools in Fairfax County this year. The event raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for bicycling and walking and emphasizes the importance of increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, reducing traffic congestion, and concern for the environment. The event builds connections between families, schools, and the broader community. The event also highlights the need for teaching bike safety skills in our schools. Visit the Bike to School Day site to find which Virginia schools are celebrating the event. If your school is not participating this year, contact your principal and other parents and start organizing for next year.

Bike to Work Day - May 17

Now is the time to sign up for Bike to Work Day, which is Friday, May 17. Whether you are a new bike commuter or an experienced one, signing up for Bike to Work Day is important because the numbers are used as one measure of the growth of cycling over the years. Choose from the many events held around the DC Metro area, including several in Fairfax County: Burke VRE Station, Fairfax Corner, Herndon, Merrifield-Mosaic District (new), Merrifield-W&OD Trail, Collingwood Park (new), Reston, Springfield Metro at Walker Lane, Tysons Corner Center, and Vienna. There is also a Fairfax City pit stop. We plan to have a FABB rep at each of these events to provide route information, answer questions, and to ask people to sign up for our e-newsletter.

Tour de Fat returns on June 1 - Volunteers needed

Tour de Fat is returning to DC on June 1. The free event is a full day of fun bike-related activities starting with a bike parade, costumes preferred. The event will again be held at The Yards Park on the banks of the Anacostia River two blocks from Navy Yard Metro station and Nationals Park. The goal of Tour de Fat is to celebrate bicycling and to raise money for local advocacy groups including FABB. FABB will receive a percentage of the proceeds so your participation will help us raise money.

To get a flavor of the event see our blog post about last year's event, including videos of the bike parade and the "bike pit" that features trick bikes. You can also enjoy live music, games, food, and beverages. The main sponsor is New Belgium brewery.

FABB will be working the wristband/ID booth again this year and we need more volunteers. We check the IDs of people who want to drink beer to make sure no one is underage. To sign up visit our Volunteer Spot page, enter your email address, and choose the June 1 event. There are 3 shifts. We need 2 more for the morning shift (10:00-1:30pm), 1 more for the overlapping shift (11:00-2:30pm), and 7 for the afternoon shift (1:30-5:00pm). Volunteers receive 2 beverage coupons and a t-shirt.

Fairfax County Parkway Trail repairs

VDOT has funds to begin to repair major sections of the Fairfax County Parkway Trail. While we think that most of the trail needs repaving, repairs of some of the more badly damaged sections is a start. Last year FABB conducted an assessment of the condition of the trail as we reported in our April-May 2012 Newsletter. That information was used as the basis for a study done by VDOT to determine where to make the repairs. We hope the work will be completed this year.

Bike Counts - Volunteers needed

FABB has conducted bike counts the last couple of years. We see more and more cyclists on the roads and trails but we don't have data to back up that observation. We want to know if more people are riding on the bike lanes on Gallows Road and whether more cyclists are using the W&OD Trail during rush hour and on the weekend. We've begun counting cyclists at a few locations around the County and we need volunteers to help. The count dates are Thursday, May 9 from 5-7pm and Saturday May 11 from 12-2pm. The locations where we need volunteers are: W&OD Trail at Gallows Rd, W&OD Trail at Maple Ave/Rt 123 in Vienna, Sunrise Valley Dr at South Lakes Dr in Reston, Saintsbury Dr at Vaden Dr near the Vienna Metro station, and Chain Bridge Rd at Westmoreland St in McLean. To volunteer visit Volunteer Spot, click on one of the two dates, and sign up.